Fox/Disney Hires Taika Waititi for New Flash Gordon Movie

Now that Disney has acquired the rights to not only Fox’s studio, but also its vast array of intellectual property, the House of Mouse is wasting no time getting those big name franchises back into development. A new Flash Gordon film has been rumored to be in development for years now, but it looks like Disney is finally moving forward with something substantial. It may not be a live-action film, but it’s a Flash Gordon feature nonetheless, and Disney has found one of the most sought-after directors in Hollywood to spearhead the new project.

According to Deadline, Disney has tapped Thor: Ragnarok director Taika Waititi to “crack” a new Flash Gordon animated feature film. The report suggests that Waititi is signing on to both write and direct the animated film, but his camp is indicating that it’s too early to tell what his actual role will be. Regardless, Waititi seems to be in charge of bringing the project to life in one way or another.

At the moment, it’s hard to find a director in Hollywood busier than Taika Waititi. He’s currently in post-production on his latest film, Jojo Rabbit, which arrives in theaters later this year. Waititi is also set to direct the live-action adaptation of Akira, produced by Leonardo DiCaprio. He was attached to direct the stop-motion film Bubbles for Netflix, which told the story of Michael Jackson through the eyes of his pet chimpanzee. However, Waititi pulled out of the project not long after HBO’s Finding Neverland documentary was released.

There have been efforts to bring Flash Gordon back to the screen for some time, since the 1980 film starring Sam Jones and Max Von Sydow has achieved cult status. Filmmakers like Matthew Vaughn and Julius Avery have both been attached to potential projects, but Waititi taking on an animated version of the character really makes a lot of sense.

What do you think of this new Flash Gordon project? Is Taika Waititi the right director to bring the character back to life? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!